Elizabeth watched as the pair of men grew ever closer. They were quite similar in appearance, definitely related, maybe even twins. As they arrived, one of them spoke up. Elizabeth looked up to meet his gaze, her expression rather blank and unwelcoming. Her eyes hovered on his extended hand for a moment before answering it with a brisk shake. After a moment of utter silence she spoke. "Yes, this is Vulture's Roost... but if you're heading north I'm afraid you're out of luck. The guards aren't letting any northbound travelers in, not yet anyway." The man seemed polite enough, but that only made Elizabeth suspicious. Even so, her earlier hypothesis was being confirmed more every moment. Evidently they were not the only ones heading northward, and she doubted any of the newcomers were just looking to do some hunting. Her gloved fingers still wrapped around the head of her cane, Elizabeth carefully began choosing her next words. Before she could speak, however, Noah interjected.


 Noah reached out to meet Ira's handshake, after rolling back his oversized sleeve. He shook the man's hand gingerly with a wide smile, still seemingly unfazed by the weather or their current predicament. "Hey there, I'm Noah." As Ira spoke, Noah's smile only seemed to widen. "Oh, you two are headed north too?" He seemed absolutely ecstatic at the thought of company. "It'll be a lot easier with some friends. I was afraid me and Miss Elizabeth were going to be alone... Not that we usually aren't." He threw an apologetic look towards his companion. "And not that there's anything wrong with that... But some company is always nice." As Noah spoke, he noticed more people arriving at the gates. "Oh, hey, more friends." Speaking up a bit, he presented a broad question to the entire group. "So, did you all read Mister Tikkis' book, then?" His energy was surprising given that he wasn't very used to the cold yet. Despite the frigid climate, there was a warmth to the boy's voice, something like the crackling of a campfire.



   As Noah went out of his way to introduce himself to everyone, Elizabeth glanced around at each of the newcomers. There were the two brothers, who seemed the most capable for the journey, at least physically. Next there was a tall, fair-haired, scholarly looking fellow who had just opened a book. He seemed familiar with Vulture's Roost, at least more than the rest of them. The next arrival was a fairly tall woman, mostly covered by her coat. She hadn't spoken, but she seemed to just be quietly waiting for the whole procession to continue. Finally, there was the last arrival. Nothing seemed overly peculiar about the woman. She was quiet, but most people wouldn't be all that sociable, given the situation. However, Elizabeth did note a long scar running down her face. From her own experience, she'd learned that every scar told a story. This, however, happened to be a story she didn't know. Elizabeth's gaze finally returned to the conversation at hand. It was no use trying to decipher each person. She would probably have plenty of time to do that... especially if Noah intended to make friends with everyone.